Flax-straw beating and scutching machine.



J. E. DINGWAL L D. PRUDDEN.

FLAX STRAW BEATING AND SCUTCHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED on. 22. |91-I.

1,278,69. Patented Sept. 10,1918.

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APPLICATION FILED OCT- 22- I917! Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

2 SHEETSSIET 2- ms NoRRrs PETERS ca. FNOm-Ll 1H0 wnsmlwmu n. q.

JAMES E. DI'NGWALD AND WESTON D. PRUDDEN, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO DONALD B. MCDONALD, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Application filed October 22, 1917. Serial No. 197,980.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that we, JAMES E. DINGWALL and W'EsroN D. PRUDDEN, a subject of the King of England, and a citizen of the United States, respectively, residing at Duluth, in the county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flax-Straw Beating and Scutching Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to machines for treating flax straw and is particularly designed for the purpose of separating what is known as shi'ves from the fiber of flax straw.

The principal object is to provide a machine of thi character capable of producing clean smooth fiber from flax straw previously passed through a common threshing machine and not especially prepared for such treatment.

It is known in the art that flax may be grown and threshed with the special object in view of utilizing the straw for fiber and under such circumstances the straw is maintained in as uniform and straight condition as possible throughout its growing and threshing process. Straw thus produced is comparativelyreasy to handle in the further process of separating the shives from the fiber and machines for such purpose are common.

While our present machine, as above stated, is particularly designed for treating straw not thus especially grown and pre pared, the same may proveeflicient for such purpose and a further object is to produce an improved machine of this character which will more effectually perform its functions.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this application and in which like reference characters indicate like parts;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a flax straw treating machine embodying our invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of same, and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic elevation of the straw engaging parts of the machine.

1 represents a suitable supporting frame upon which are rotatably mounted a plurality of straw engaging rollers, the straw be ing fed into the machine at one end and the open frame structure supported by the other mentioned frames. 7

At the feeding end of the machine is located a suitable feeding table 5' over which the straw is fed by hand to the first set of rollers 66 and 77 journaled in the intermediate supporting frame 2, the rollers 66 being below the rollers 7 7 and but slightly I intermeshing therewith.

These rollers are externally fluted spirally having V-shaped corrugations about their entire outer surface and upon each pair horizontally, the spirality' of the corrugations is opposite, the object being to exert an equal lateral'stress in both directions upon the straw as it travels between the two sets of rollers. As before stated, these rolls slightly intermesh, that is to say the V -shaped projections on one roller extend slightly within the similarly shaped corrugations or depressions upon the other this being for the purpose of initially breaking the shives on the straw as it passes therebetween.

It is evident thata portion of the shives thus broken will be separated from the fiber and fall from the rolls 6'6 while the remainder of thestraw passes on slightly upwardand over a larger longitudinally fluted roller 8, the corrugations of which are simi lar in shape to those upon the previously de scribed rollers except that they are somewhat closer together and extend parallel with the sides. thereof. Above thi roller 8 is reciprocally supported. a series of verti cally disposed swingles or beaters 9 there being preferably six separate beaters in the series standing in close juxtaposition though not touching and the opposed faces of each beater formed at an angle diagonally the axis of the roller.

Each beater is composed of a single piece of wood securely attached in any desired manner adjacent the free end of a corresponding horizontally disposediresilient supporting bar 10, the opposite end of which latter is fixed to the cross member 11 of the supporting frame 4;

Directly above each beater 9 and on top of the respective supporting bar is an expansive spiral spring 12 supported beneath the cross member 13 ofth'e nitrate. These springs are for the purpose of accelerating the downward motion of the heaters.

Upon the under side of the approximately extreme end of each bar 10 is rigidly disposed a depending bracket 14: carrying a suitable roller 15 for engagement with the cam 16 mounted upon the cross shaft 17,

, there being one such cam for each beater,

' the beaters 20 1s opposite to that of the,

the action of which may be timed by their position radially upon the shaft 17 as is obvious. These cams are made to raise the free ends of the bars 10 and their respective beaters by revolving the shaft 17 in an anticlockwise direction, such motion being imparted by suitable belt and pulley attachment illustrated at 18 and by which the entire machine is operated.

When released from engagement with the cam, each beater will descend of its own weight assisted by its respective spring 12 upon the upper surface of the roller 8, the lower ends of the heaters being concaved to coincide with the circumferential surface of the roller 8. This treatment is for the pur-- pose of further breaking and dislodging the shives from the fiber and softening the latter.

A second roller 19 identical with the roller 8 and spaced but a short distance therefrom is also journaled upon the frame land has a cooperating series of beaters 20 thereabove. I

These 'beaters are fastened to supporting bars 21 attached to the cross member 22 of the frame 4 and each provided with an accelerating spiral spring 23 supported by the cross member 24.

The free ends of the supporting bars 21 rest upon the free ends of the like bars 10 they overlapping the latter considerably as illustrated at 25 and are raised by the action of the latter, thus requiring no special cam engaging mechanism therefor.

The angle of the adjacent side walls of beaters 9, this being for the purpose of counter-acting the lateral draft upon the straw as it is engaged by the beaters.

During this beating process still more shives vare separated from thefiber and the latter is furthertreated by passing intermediate of a pair of smaller fluted rollers 26 and 27, the corrugations thereupon being V-shaped, parallel longitudinally the rollers and also slightly intermeshing as in the 7 case of the rollers 6 and 7 before described.

From these rollers the straw passes under two similar rollers 28 and 29 placed one in advance of the'other and having a solid apron or plate 30 thereunder against which the straw is slightly impinged and further- 31, are made of-wood instead of metal, the 7 object being to lessen the severity of action upon the fiber, and the rollers 28, 29 and 31 are the only ones which tend materially to draw out and straighten the fiber and remove the broken pieces of shives bydrawing them longitudinally the fiber.

The straw, when leaving the roller 29, is preferably on an upward inclination to a point'approximately perpendicular with the outer edge of said roller and is there abruptly met by the descending radially spaced ribs 32 upon the circumferential surface of the roller 31 and which roller performs the final scutching and cleaning process.

An arcuately shaped open mesh, apron 33 is positioned below the roller 31 and in close proximity to the ribs 32. This roller is rotated at approximately 100 revolutions per minute and effectually concludes the separating operation, the separated, pieces of shives being allowed to fall through the perforated discharging table 34, and the apron 33. I

A pulley 35 is mounted upon the end of the shaft 17 opposite to the driven end and from thence a suitable belt 36 conveys power to the pulley 37 on the shaft 38 upon which the roller or drum 31 is mounted. Upon the opposite end of the shaft 38 is a beveled gear 39 meshing with a like gear 40 on the roller driving shaft 41 mounted horizontally the supporting frame land adjacent the upper edge thereof. All of the rollers of the machine are driven either directly or indirectly from this shaft 41 and preferably by means of gearing substantially as illustrated, the rollers 7-7 and 27 being driven from their lower cooperating rollers by suitable spur gears. V

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secureby Let- 1 the discharging end of the machine and rollers having reciprocal heaters cooperatively engageahle with the circumferential surfaces thereof intermediate of the two first mentioned groups of rollers.

2. A machine of the character described having a series of transverse rollers disposed longitudinally therein in the following relation, intermeshing breaking rollers, rollers having reciprocal heaters intermittently striking same, cleaning and stretching rollers and a final scutching roller, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of )the character defl scribed, the combination with a suitable supporting frame, of slightly intermeshing corrugated breaking rollers, larger corrugated rollers having coperative reciprocal heaters intermittently impinging same, smaller corrugated cleaning and stretching rollers, and a scutching roller arranged re-' spectively as enumerated.

4. The combination with a flax straw treating machine having a series of transverse rollers disposed longitudinally therein, of one or more corrugated rollers within the series having cooperative reciprocal heaters mounted adjacent thereto and intermittently impinging same whereby the straw is swingled between the roller and heaters during the process of its treatment in the machine.

5. The combination with a flax straw treating machine having a series of transverse rollers disposed longitudinally therein of a pair of relatively large corrugated rollers approximately the center of the series of rollers, a series of vertically reciprocal heaters mounted above each large roller, a cam shaft above and intermediate of said rollers and means for imparting intermittent reciprocal motion from the cam shaft to the beaters substantially as described.

6. The combination with a flax straw treating machine having a series of transverse rollers disposed longitudinally therein, of a pair of relatively large corrugated rollers, a series of vertically reciprocal heaters mounted above each large roller and designed to strike same upon the limit of their downward stroke, the adjacent side walls of the heaters being disposed in planes transverse the axis of the rollers, a cam shaft above and intermediate of the rollers and means intermediate of the cam shaft and the heaters for imparting reciprocal motion thereto.

7. The combination with a suitable supporting frame having a feeding platform at one end and a discharging platform at the opposite end, of a series of cleaning and scutching rollers comprising two pairs of spirally corrugated slightly intermeshing breaking rollers adjacent the feeding platform, the spirality of the corrugations on each pair of rollers being opposite to prevent abnormal lateral stress upon the straw as it passes therebetween, two larger rollers within the series, a series of vertically reciprocal heaters above each of said larger rollers, and means for applying reciprocal motion to the heaters.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES E. DINGWALL. WESTON D. PRUDDEN. Witnesses:

S. C. BRONSON, S. GEO. S'rnvnns.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

